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2025–26 League One Playoffs: Fixtures, Dates, Teams in Contention
If clubs want to reach the Championship—the top division of the English Football League (EFL) and the level just below the Premier League—they must first survive League One.
It is a tough gruelling 24-team division packed with fallen giants and rising stars where only the strongest endure across a long unforgiving season. Promotion is precious and hard-earned.
Teams can go up in one of two ways. Finish first or second and secure automatic promotion or end the campaign in the playoff places between third and sixth.
The former is straightforward. The latter—far less so.
So how do the League One playoffs work and when do they take place in 2025–26? Here is everything you need to know.
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How do the League One Playoffs Work?
Once the League One season concludes, the clubs finishing between third and sixth are given one last shot at promotion, entering the playoffs to contest the division’s final Championship place.
The process begins with the semifinals. The side ending the regular campaign in third plays the team in sixth while fourth and fifth face off in the other tie. Both match-ups are decided over two legs, with the team that finished higher in the table hosting the second match to reflect their stronger league performance.
Progression is determined by the aggregate score across the two games. If the teams remain level after the second leg, extra time is played followed by penalties if necessary.
The winners advance to the playoff final at Wembley Stadium. This decisive clash is a single match, with promotion on the line and extra time and penalties again used if the contest cannot be settled within 90 minutes.
When Are the 2025–26 League One Playoffs?
The 2025–26 League One campaign draws to a close with the final round of fixtures on the weekend of May 2–3 2026.
So far, the EFL have only confirmed the date of the League One playoff final, which will be staged at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, May 24 2026—one day after the Championship final and one day before the League Two showpiece.
The semifinal dates have yet to be announced.
How Much Is Winning the League One Playoff Final Worth?
Lifting the League One playoff trophy does not bring an immediate bonus cheque from the EFL. Clubs already receive their standard EFL funding and Premier League solidarity payments each season, which combined sit at around £2 million.
While a Wembley final can still generate a useful one-off uplift through ticket sales and matchday income, the real financial reward comes with what follows. Promotion to the Championship unlocks a dramatic increase in central distributions, with EFL payments and solidarity funding rising to roughly £11 million in total, alongside far greater television revenue and typically higher attendances.
In short, there may be no official prize money attached to the final itself, but the long-term financial impact of winning the League One playoffs is enormous.
Who Are in Contention for the 2025–26 League One Playoffs?
Cardiff City are setting the pace at the top of the League One table, but they are being pushed hard by Lincoln City and Bradford City in second and third.
From fourth down to eighth, the margins are razor-thin, with just a handful of points separating Bolton Wanderers, Stevenage, Stockport County, Huddersfield Town and Luton Town. All remain firmly in the mix for a playoff place—and potentially even automatic promotion.
League One, though, is a notoriously unforgiving division. A short winning run or a poor patch of form can quickly reshape the table, and with half the season still to play, the race for the playoffs remains wide open.
*League One table correct as of 27-12-25.
Position | Team | Played | Points | Goal Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Cardiff City | 21 | 44 | +16 |
2. | Lincoln City | 22 | 41 | +9 |
3. | Bradford City | 21 | 40 | +10 |
4. | Bolton Wanderers | 21 | 37 | +10 |
5. | Stevenage Town | 20 | 36 | +9 |
6. | Stockport County | 21 | 35 | +2 |
7. | Huddersfield Town | 22 | 34 | +9 |
8. | Luton Town | 22 | 32 | +2 |
9. | Barnsley | 19 | 28 | +2 |
10. | Wycombe Wanderers | 22 | 28 | +2 |
Who Has the Best League One Playoffs Record?
A total of eight clubs have won promotion from the third tier via the playoff final on two occasions. Walsall were the first to achieve the feat in 2001, while the most recent example came in 2023 when Sheffield Wednesday defeated Barnsley.
The other sides to have won the League One playoff final twice are Peterborough United, Huddersfield Town, Barnsley, Millwall, Rotherham United and Blackpool.
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Barnaby Lane is a highly experienced sports writer who has written for The Times, FourFourTwo Magazine, TalkSPORT, and Business Insider. Over the years, he's had the pleasure of interviewing some of the biggest names in world sport, including Usain Bolt, Rafael Nadal, Christian Pulisic, and more.